Climate change in Louisiana

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Climate change in Louisiana encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in the U.S. state of Louisiana.

Studies show that Louisiana is among a string of "Deep South" states that will experience the worst effects of climate change.^[1] According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "[i]n the coming decades, Louisiana will become warmer, and both floods and droughts may become more severe. Unlike most of the nation, Louisiana did not become warmer during the last century. But soils have become drier, annual rainfall has increased, more rain arrives in heavy downpours, and sea level is rising. The changing climate is likely to increase damages from floods, reduce crop yields and harm fisheries, increase the number of unpleasantly hot days, and increase the risk of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses".^[2]

Louisiana is expected to be the site of substantial climate refugee challenge, because of the loss of coastline, changing environmental conditions that make the humid coastal ecosystems not easily habitable, and declining economic viability of industries in that geography.^[3]

In 2021, Louisiana experienced a substantial impact from Hurricane Ida, which was noted as having characteristics that are probably more common in a warmer climate: the intensity, the rapid intensification, and the amount of rainfall over land.^[4]